1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cleaning an object and, more particularly, to vacuuming particulate matter from an object either being or having been machined.
2. Prior Art
Using a vacuum to clean objects is generally old in the art. Various U.S. patents have involved improvements in general cleaning and also in vacuum cleaning. U.S. Pat. No. 3,071,497 to Hinson discloses dust removal by blowing ionized air onto a workpiece followed by vibration. U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,704 to Huggins discloses particle removal using a combination of sonic vibration and charge neutralization. U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,973 to McBrady et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,727,614 to Swistun disclose the combination of blowing ionized air along with vacuuming. U.S. Pat. No. 4,198,725 to Trutzschler discloses a combination of a vacuum and vibrator.
Although the types of cleaning apparatus and methods described in the above patents are fairly good at cleaning ordinary regular objects, a particular problem has arisen with the machining and cleaning of objects having honeycomb-type structures or structures with areas or pockets that might catch and retain dust or particulate matter. It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide a new and improved apparatus and method for cleaning objects that might otherwise catch and retain particulate matter within its structure.